Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solothurn and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,453 a month against $2,753 in Solothurn, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. The total is higher in Solothurn despite lower rent and utilities.

132

Cost of Living Index in Solothurn
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Solothurn Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Solothurn

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,753

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Solothurn and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Solothurn and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,753 in Solothurn versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Solothurn $2,753
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,410 in Solothurn versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Solothurn $4,410
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,067 in Solothurn versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Solothurn $6,067
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Solothurn is roughly 12% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Solothurn 102% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.77 CHF 25.48

$17.59 €15.76

74.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$147 CHF 122

$67.5 €60.5

118.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.33 CHF 15.17

$13.53 €12.12

35.48%

Cappuccino

$6.67 CHF 5.52

$3.19 €2.86

109.09%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 CHF 4.40

$2.91 €2.61

82.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 CHF 4.41

$1.89 €1.70

182.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 CHF 5.46

$4.01 €3.59

64.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 CHF 4.88

$4.53 €4.06

30.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$1.31 €1.17

67.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 CHF 3.12

$2.02 €1.81

86.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 CHF 2.82

$1.85 €1.66

83.78%

Eggs

$8.42 CHF 6.97

$4.83 €4.33

74.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.43 CHF 18.57

$16.74 €15.00

33.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.36 CHF 21.83

$9.12 €8.17

189.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$60.1 CHF 49.74

$19.64 €17.60

205.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 CHF 2.41

$2.98 €2.67

-2.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 CHF 1.23

$2.02 €1.81

-26.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.92

$2.70 €2.42

30.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 CHF 3.52

$2.80 €2.51

52.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CHF 1.36

$2.09 €1.87

-21.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 CHF 1.52

$2.07 €1.85

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 CHF 1.29

$1.46 €1.31

6.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 CHF 0.84

$0.94 €0.84

7.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.81 CHF 8.95

$6.87 €6.16

57.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 CHF 11.69

$7.89 €7.07

78.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 CHF 2.41

$1.41 €1.26

106.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 CHF 2.58

$2.54 €2.27

22.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.87

$3.14 €2.82

49.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 CHF 6.59

$2.99 €2.68

166.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.47 CHF 3.70

$1.49 €1.34

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.1 CHF 72.9

$33.37 €29.91

163.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$1.80 €1.61

23.89%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.4K CHF 25.2K

$33.2K €29.7K

-8.29%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$35.0K CHF 29.0K

$31.7K €28.4K

10.33%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$97.8 CHF 81.0

$180 €162

-45.80%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$30.67 CHF 25.39

$13.84 €12.40

121.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 CHF 44.99

$33.70 €30.20

61.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.4 CHF 74.0

$51.5 €46.16

73.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.05 CHF 14.11

$15.96 €14.30

6.83%

Cinema Ticket

$17.87 CHF 14.79

$10.99 €9.85

62.60%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$3,421 CHF 2,832

$917 €821

273.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K CHF 16.1K

$16.5K €14.8K

18.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$87.0 €78.0

58.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.96 CHF 34.74

$38.51 €34.51

8.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$106 €94.8

50.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$246 CHF 203

$120 €107

105.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 CHF 955

$1,699 €1,523

-32.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 CHF 864

$1,355 €1,214

-23.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,803 CHF 1,493

$2,603 €2,332

-30.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 CHF 1,422

$2,062 €1,848

-16.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,576 CHF 7,929

$6,915 €6,196

38.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,801 CHF 3,975

$5,128 €4,595

-6.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,805 CHF 5,634

$2,211 €1,981

207.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.03

3.28

-38.11%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Solothurn: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Solothurn

$1K 37.9%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 29.9% $312

Groceries & Markets

Solothurn

$621 22.6%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 48.2% $299

Eating Out

Solothurn

$468 17%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 42.8% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Solothurn

$263 9.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 40% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solothurn

$183 6.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 24.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Solothurn

$125 4.6%

Barcelona

$74 3% 41.3% $52

Getting Around

Solothurn

$49 * 1.8%

Barcelona

$48 2% 1.1% $0.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,154 in Solothurn and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Solothurn pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $147 in Solothurn vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $621 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Solothurn

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

Same time as Solothurn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,599

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.922 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Solothurn Barcelona 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Solothurn
Barcelona

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Solothurn vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,753 in Solothurn and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Barcelona is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Solothurn is about 3.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,154 in Solothurn versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,421 in Solothurn versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $147 in Solothurn. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Solothurn and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Barcelona wins on affordability, Solothurn on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.